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The night was cold and quiet in the way that never promised anything good.
Claire moved slowly along the ruined corridor of the old harbor warehouse. The beam of her flashlight cut through the darkness in a narrow cone, reflecting off metal containers and puddles of black, congealed blood.
The air smelled of rust, dampness, and something far worse.
Claire stopped for a moment and listened.
Silence.
Too quiet.
This place was supposed to be nothing more than a transfer warehouse which, according to TerraSave intelligence, had been used to transport illegal virus samples. There was supposed to be a single security unit here, maybe a few mutated animals.
Nothing Claire hadn’t handled before.
The problem was that she hadn’t had any contact with Leon for thirty minutes.
And Leon Kennedy rarely just vanished.
Claire tightened her grip on the pistol.
“Leon.” she whispered softly into the communicator.
Static.
Then a crackle of interference.
Nothing else.
She exhaled through her nose.
“Sure.” she muttered under her breath. “Why not.”
She moved on.
Her footsteps were almost silent. The old concrete floor was cracked, in places covered with a thick layer of dust. As her flashlight moved along the walls, she saw signs of a fight.
Dented metal.
Bullet holes.
Blood stains.
A lot of blood.
Claire stopped beside one of them and crouched down.
The blood was fresh.
It still glistened in the light of her flashlight.
Her heart began to beat faster.
“Leon…” she murmured quietly.
Suddenly, a strange sound came from the corridor to the left.
Something heavy dragged across the floor.
Claire immediately switched off the flashlight.
Darkness closed around her like a heavy curtain.
She listened.
Again.
A scraping sound.
Slow.
Irregular.
Like footsteps.
Or something trying to walk.
Claire slowly moved closer to the corner of the corridor. One hand held the pistol, the other searched along the wall for something heavy.
Her fingers touched cold metal.
A crowbar.
She lifted it slowly.
The scraping was getting closer.
Claire counted breaths in her mind.
One.
Two.
Three.
A shadow appeared on the wall.
Tall.
Unsteady.
Covered in something dark.
Blood.
A lot of blood.
The figure staggered and slammed a shoulder against the wall.
The head dropped heavily.
Claire felt a cold surge of adrenaline run through her body.
Infected.
Or something worse.
She couldn’t risk it.
She waited another second.
The figure took a step.
Then another.
Claire burst out from around the corner.
The crowbar cut through the air with a loud whistle.
Metal struck someone’s head with a dull sound.
The figure collapsed to the ground like a sack.
For a second Claire just stood there, breathing hard.
Then she switched the flashlight on.
The light fell on the face of the man lying on the floor.
Claire froze.
“…Leon?”
Leon lay on his back, completely motionless. His blond hair was soaked with blood, just like half of his face and jacket.
For one terrifying second Claire was certain she had killed him.
Then Leon groaned.
He slowly opened one eye.
And looked at her with clear confusion.
“…Wow.” he mumbled.
Claire dropped the crowbar as if it had suddenly become hot.
“Leon?!”
Leon blinked a few times.
Then he slowly raised a hand and touched the spot where she had hit him.
He winced.
“Good to know…” he said hoarsely. “That if it comes down to it, you won’t hesitate to kill me.”
Claire stared at him for a moment in absolute silence.
Then she lightly punched his shoulder.
“I thought you were zombie!”
Leon tried to sit up.
It didn’t work.
He dropped back onto the concrete.
“Well…” he muttered. “Next time I’ll try to look less like a zombie.”
Claire knelt beside him.
“Leon.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you covered in blood?”
Leon looked down at his jacket.
“Good question.”
Claire raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t know?”
“Most of it isn’t mine.” he replied calmly.
Claire narrowed her eyes.
“That’s not reassuring.”
Leon tried to sit up again.
This time he managed it, though with clear effort.
“I ran into a few problems.”
“A few?”
“A few bigger ones.”
Claire crossed her arms.
“How many exactly?”
Leon thought for a moment.
“Eight.”
Claire stared at him.
“Eight what.”
Leon looked at her seriously.
“Mutated dogs.”
Claire sighed heavily.
“Of course.”
Leon rubbed the back of his head.
“One of them was a little faster than the rest.”
Claire glanced at the spot where she had hit him.
An impressive bruise was already forming on his temple.
“Leon.”
“Yes?”
“I hit you with a crowbar.”
“I noticed.”
“Hard.”
“I noticed that too.”
Claire looked away for a second.
Then back at him.
“I’m sorry.”
Leon shrugged lightly.
“Not the first time someone’s tried to kill me tonight.”
Claire couldn’t hold it in.
“I wasn’t trying to kill you!”
Leon raised his hands defensively.
“Hey, relax. I’m joking.”
Claire shook her head.
“You’re lucky you survived.”
Leon looked at her with a faint smile.
“With you I always am.”
Claire rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
Then her expression turned serious again.
“Can you walk?”
Leon slowly stood up.
He swayed.
Claire immediately grabbed his arm.
“Easy.”
Leon cleared his throat.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“Looking good has never really been my strength after missions.”
Claire glanced at his blood-soaked jacket.
“I’m not joking, Leon.”
Leon looked down the corridor.
“Neither am I.”
Claire froze.
“What do you mean?”
Leon pointed into the darkness behind her.
“Those dogs weren’t the only ones.”
Something growled in the distance.
Low.
Deep.
Claire slowly turned around.
The darkness at the end of the corridor shifted.
Two glowing eyes appeared in the shadow.
Then more.
Leon sighed quietly.
“That’s why I was in such a hurry.”
Claire raised her pistol.
“How many?”
Leon checked his magazines.
“Not enough.”
The eyes in the darkness began to move closer.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Claire looked at Leon.
“Can you run?”
Leon grimaced slightly.
“With motivation.”
Claire pointed toward the emergency exit at the end of the warehouse.
“There.”
Leon nodded.
“Sounds like a plan.”
The first creature stepped out of the shadows.
A dog.
But definitely not a normal one.
Its skin was torn open in several places, and strange bone spikes grew from its back.
Claire swallowed.
“Ready?”
Leon chambered his weapon.
“That’s why I’m here.”
The beast lunged forward.
Leon fired first.
The bullet hit the head.
The monster fell, but the rest moved immediately.
“Run!” Leon shouted.
Claire didn’t need to be told twice.
They ran.
Behind them the echo of footsteps, claws, and furious growling filled the entire warehouse.
Leon glanced at her while running.
“You know…”
Claire fired at one of the dogs.
“Not now, Leon!”
“I’m just saying…”
They jumped over an overturned transport cart.
“Next time you see someone covered in blood—”
Claire fired again.
“If it’s you again, I’ll check the face first!”
Leon smirked.
“Progress.”
The emergency door was close now.
Claire grabbed the handle and shoved it with all her weight.
The door burst open with a loud bang.
They stumbled outside.
Cold night air hit them immediately.
Claire slammed the door shut and jammed it with a metal bar.
Behind them the monsters slammed into the metal almost instantly.
The door shook.
Claire exhaled heavily.
Leon leaned against the wall.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Leon looked at her.
“You know…”
Claire shot him a warning look.
“Leon.”
“If we ever have to work undercover—”
Claire narrowed her eyes.
“Yes?”
Leon pointed to his head.
“Remind me never to pretend to be a zombie.”
Claire sighed.
“Shut up, Kennedy.”
Leon smiled faintly.